Cover image — Image source: M.A.D. Festival (attribution inferred from article context).
Which visitor’s eye has not noticed that Montreal is a city prodigal of style? Closing out a summer of spectacles in our fair city, the Festival de Mode, Arts, et Divertissement (formerly Festival Mode and Design) will be celebrating its 25th anniversary from August 21st to 24th. Free and open to the public, this silver jubilee in the Quartier des Spectacles, drawing half a million international and local visitors, will showcase the abundance of local fashion talent. With more than 1,000 participants ranging from models to entrepreneurs, and in collaboration with LaSalle College, the From Us to You Foundation, 1664, and seven SDCs, the M.A.D. festival is the epitome of “Made in Montreal.” Hardly the cloistered scene of couture catwalks, Montreal’s exuberant celebration will include not only 30 defiles presenting the visions of its most avant-garde designers, but also 70 pop-ups of local designers in the largest open-air fashion market in the city, live performances, immersive art installations, and a parade inspired by the street style of Montreal’s unique neighborhoods.
Reminding us that fashion touches all corners of culture–sport, art, music, street–the M.A.D. festival will be hosting some unexpected events.
Editorial image — Best Kept MTL 2025 (publisher attribution). BYOF Bring your own fashion to one of these notable fashion hoods to celebrate M.A.D. fashion hitting the streets throughout August!
The festival kicks off with a charity show “Sports Icons on the Runway,” underwritten by professional hockey player Patrik, and wife Jordan, Laine’s From Us to You Foundation, with the goal of de-stigmatizing and expanding access to therapy. (The show will be followed by a VIP reception.) On August 22nd, LaSalle College, one of Canada’s premier fashion schools and a long-time partner of M.A.D.’s, regales us with a dazzling dance and fashion show called “No Limits.” This performance will surely remind us of the fact that LaSalle College has put itself on the international fashion map, training generations of talent renowned at home and abroad.
Editorial image — Best Kept MTL 2025 (publisher attribution). One could call it the PLAIDteau as many Montreal thrift stores carry an abundance of plaid shirts!
Meanwhile, the SDCs of several neighborhoods distinctively known for their involvement with fashion have collaborated with M.A.D. to bring the celebration to their streets throughout the months of August and September: District Central, the heart of the fashion industry; the Village, known for its insouciant and extravagant style; Mont-Royal, with its melee of funky promenaders and charming boutiques; Laurier West, with its couture-oriented boutiques and ateliers; Plaza Saint-Hubert, where commerce and entertainment converge under a unique canopy; and Montreal-Nord, the trendy hive of fashion creation. If you live in one of these neighborhoods, or want a reason to make an excursion out of your own neighborhood, come to one of these festive spin-offs. This diasporized “Defile ton Montreal” will converge upon the Quartier des Spectacles on August 23rd in a blockbuster runway show that traverses the neighborhood niches of Montreal fashion.
HELMER is a MTL fashion designer celebrated for his imaginative tailoring and signature “pretty-boy” suits that blend elegance with a playful edge.
Image source: Helmer (attribution inferred from article context).
Lest you worry that all the delights of the festival will be ephemeral, content yourself that you can take away many a souvenir from the large open-air fashion market.
BKIND cruelty & chemical free nail polish: Wicked: a very dark forest green, almost black, with glitter. A great metro-boy colour!
Photo: Bertrand Exertier.
There, you will find trendy labels such as Fervido, Girl Crush Gang, Bugatti, Hoaka Swimwear, BKIND, and visual artist Pony. Exclusively featuring local designers, many of whom are dedicated to eco-design and locally-based sourcing and production, this pop-up market will seduce you with finds that render you virtuous as well as stylish.
Spectacular and audience-engaging though the MAD festival will be, it is meant not only to celebrate, but also to support, the local fashion industry. Therefore, it is hosting two pre-festival days (August 18th and 19th) with bootcamp sessions and networking opportunities for emerging fashion entrepreneurs.
Editorial image — Best Kept MTL 2025 (publisher attribution). Inclusive,, and unapologetically experimental, M.A.D. Mode et Design’s 2025 lineup is already stirring buzz. Whispers from the industry suggest it may just deliver the boldest drops in recent memory—and possibly the most daring yet.
